ALBUM OF THE WEEK: COUNTING CROWS

Counting Crows

Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings


by Christopher Mackie


SquareOne Entertainment


For a man that has squired Courtney Cox AND Jennifer Aniston, Counting Crows' be-dreadlocked warbler Adam Duritz can be a miserable sod at times. His melancholic outlook has informed much of the Crows' output since their acclaimed 1994 debut, August And Everything After.

After four studio albums the arrival of their last effort (2002's Hard Candy) seemed to signal a new cheerfulness. It was an unashamedly sunny affair, full of melodic, commercial pop-rock numbers and even managed to survive the inclusion of a frightful cover of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi. Thankfully, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings sees Counting Crows back on familiar darker territory and playing to their downbeat strengths.

Six years in the making and at 14 tracks a near double album, its their best since 1996's Recovering the Satellites. The songs are split into two distinct sections, mirroring the titular night and morning theme. The saturday batch is loud, brash and occasionally angry, typified by album opener 1492 which sets things off in rousing fashion. Things blast breezily through the gleeful stomp of Hanging Tree and come to rest after the urgency of Cowboys which is probably the highlight of the set.

The sunday morning section is more introspective, wistful and in places really rather beautiful. Washington Square in particular, with its mandolin and stonking harmonica solo is the equal of any of the Crows' earlier acoustic work.

No doubt the music press at large will criticise their distinctly unfashionable influences (take your pick from any number of seventies rock acts), but to do so overlooks the fact that in Adam Duritz America has one of its most talented songwriters, and in Counting Crows one of its most gifted and enduring bands.


Look out for Counting Crows on tour and at festivals later in the year. More information to be found here: - www.countingcrows.com

You can check out the video for You Can't Count On Me here: - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2lfD2XpnvM

AND the raucous album opener 1492 here: - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG8veGmU2r8